For those not aware of our Mold Symptom Therapy Guide website, let this “Rewriting Mold” series serve as a reminder of both what we offer our patients and what we offer the general public in terms of understanding mold toxicity illness. Over the coming weeks, I will be reviewing and reposting sections of our Mold Symptoms Therapy website one or two at a time. It has been over 3 years since I first wrote this 30 plus page guide and posted it online. A few things have changed since 2020 (yes, an understatement), but the basic principles emphasized in 2020 continue with minimal change.
As this provides me an opportunity to update any advancements, it also offers the opportunity for you to ask questions and even contribute to edition number 2 of the Mold Guide. By leaving comments and questions, I can identify areas where I can offer even more to patients and the public in terms of education and empowerment over mold. Please take 2-3 minutes to be a part of helping others restore healthier more abundant lives with your questions and feedback. You can leave comments on Facebook or our website not only for each week’s section, but any section off the website which I have not addressed yet.
This week, Mold and the Hormonal System
The contribution of hormones to neurologic and emotional health and the way mold toxins cause issues with that mix were described earlier, but mold’s disruption of health through hormonal imbalance extends further than these neuro-emotional symptoms. Cortisol, thyroid, and reproductive hormones each contribute to mold toxicity’s impact on health. Beyond that, some brain hormones are directly impacted by mold and add to the symptoms.
Let’s walk through these hormones and mold’s impact on one’s health through them.
First, we consider the adrenal glands. These two little glands sit on top of our kidneys and make several hormones, including cortisol. These adrenal hormones are managed by other hormones from our brain and influenced by completely separate hormonal systems like the thyroid. In this sense it functions much like an interconnected spider web. What happens with one hormone system influences the others in a two-way street.
Regarding mold’s effects, mold toxins may upregulate or downregulate cortisol production and metabolism. This can lead to lower or higher levels of cortisol at various times of the day, depending on the balance between production of cortisol and the breakdown of it in the body. With increased cortisol, patients may feel wired and tired, experience insomnia, or heal slowly from simple wounds. With decreased cortisol levels, patients may experience so-called ‘adrenal fatigue.’ They spend their days tired and foggy. They may deal with unremittent inflammation that their bodies cannot calm down due to lack of adequate cortisol response when needed.
Next, we consider the thyroid gland and its single hormone in two forms. Medical science recognizes the thyroid as the primary gas pedal for metabolism. Too much or too little thyroid hormone impacts our health negatively. Due to its far-reaching impact, our bodies use a sensitive monitoring system to keep the speed just right. When mold toxicity and its resulting effects enter the picture, the whole system from top to bottom goes off track.
Autoimmunity triggered by a dysfunctional immune system may attack the thyroid, decreasing productivity of the key hormone. The gland itself may slow down production due to nutrient deficiency or direct toxicity. Even when hormone production itself is adequate, processes in the other body tissues, may deactivate the T4 form of hormone into an inactive reverse T3 instead of fully active T3. Regardless of how many of these mechanisms appear, the individual’s metabolism and life-functions slow down. This may cause brain fog, fatigue, muscle cramps, weakness, constipation, dry skin, increased cholesterol, and other adverse effects.
Then we consider sex hormones. Both males and females depend on the same reproductive hormones for both well-being and prevention of future illness. In women, mold toxicity may lead to imbalances between estrogen and progesterone, or just overall low levels of estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone. Infertility, endometriosis, irregular cycles, depressed mood, and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) may result.
In men, low testosterone deprives them of motivation and libido while elevated estrogen may augment female features, including weight gain and breast enlargement. Men may have problems building muscle if DHEA and testosterone are running low from mold toxicity.
While the adrenal, thyroid, and sex hormones directly impact on symptoms that patients report, the higher level of hormone control lies with the brain. Within the central nervous system, several hormones function to maintain metabolic and functional balance. Some signal within the brain. Some send signals to downstream organs like the ones mentioned above. Mold toxins may raise or lower some of these chemical messengers. Mold may increase or decrease anti-diuretic hormone (Vasopressin) affecting the balance of water and electrolytes in the body. Melanocyte stimulating hormone, as a high-level influencer of other hormonal process, may be greatly suppressed. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) also get pushed out of alignment causing various symptoms. The brain ultimately has many hormonal functions adversely affected by mold beyond just the control of the lower-level hormones.
All in all, hormonal abnormalities cap off the major systems affected by mold toxins along with the immune, neurologic, and gastrointestinal systems. Each has direct effects from mold toxins and secondary effects through the other systems. Together they produce a spider web of interconnected symptoms leaving the mold toxic individual with chaotic body functioning.
TAKE HOME POINTS
Hormonal System
Mold toxins affect multiple organs producing multiple hormones
Adrenals
May upregulate or down regulate
Symptoms may include:
fatigue, “wired and tired”, insomnia, slow wound healing, Inability to control inflammation
Thyroid
Usually slows metabolism
May trigger Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (autoimmune)
May trigger metabolic hypothyroid
Symptoms may include:
brain fog, fatigue, muscle cramps, weakness, constipation, dry skin, increased
cholesterol
Reproductive hormones
Primarily lowers levels
By lowering production
And altering metabolism
Symptoms may include for women:
Infertility, endometriosis, irregular cycles, depressed mood, and Premenstrual Syndrome
Low libido
Symptoms may include for men:
Fatigue, low libido, difficulty building muscle
Brain hormones may be disrupted also
ADH – Anti-diuretic hormone
disrupting salt and water balance
Alpha MSH – alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone
altering sleep and contributing to leaky gut
Systemic hormones affected
VIP – vasoactive intestinal peptide influencing …….
VEGF – vascular endothelial growth factor
influencing oxygen delivery through slowing capillary growth
Disrupted hormones then disrupt other system functioning as noted elsewhere
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
